Toggle main menu visibility| April 13, 2020 8:29 pmThere was more fallout Monday from that took place Saturday in the city’s Little Village neighborhood. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the company involved in the demolition failed to follow guidelines that would have prevented a plume of dust from wafting through the community, which has already been hit disproportionately hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.The mayor has suspended additional work at the site and says the city is looking into what went wrong. But Little Village residents are fuming and say the mayor’s actions are too little...…Toggle main menu visibility| April 13, 2020 8:29 pmThere was more fallout Monday from that took place Saturday in the city’s Little Village neighborhood. Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the company involved in the demolition failed to follow guidelines that would have prevented a plume of dust from wafting through the community, which has already been hit disproportionately hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.The mayor has suspended additional work at the site and says the city is looking into what went wrong. But Little Village residents are fuming and say the mayor’s actions are too little...WW…

Toggle main menu visibility| April 2, 2020 8:51 pmCoronavirus-related shutdowns have had a dramatic impact on communities all across Chicago, but north suburban Highwood has felt the squeeze on two fronts. Many residents work as landscapers, painters and restaurant workers – some in the affluent North Shore suburbs surrounding Highwood. Many have been laid off.Highwood is also the North Shore’s destination for nightlife, restaurants, bars and music clubs, all of which have either been severely limited in their operations or completely shut down. When we visited on Thursday, the...…Toggle main menu visibility| April 2, 2020 8:51 pmCoronavirus-related shutdowns have had a dramatic impact on communities all across Chicago, but north suburban Highwood has felt the squeeze on two fronts. Many residents work as landscapers, painters and restaurant workers – some in the affluent North Shore suburbs surrounding Highwood. Many have been laid off.Highwood is also the North Shore’s destination for nightlife, restaurants, bars and music clubs, all of which have either been severely limited in their operations or completely shut down. When we visited on Thursday, the...WW…

Toggle main menu visibility| March 12, 2021 1:56 pmKesha Warren needed a short-term cash infusion of $1,250 to make payroll costs for her small janitorial services company.In 2019, she took out an auto title loan, a short-term loan that uses the borrower’s vehicle as collateral. She says she was shut off from more traditional bank loans.“No one wants to lend to someone that has $100,000 in student loans, so it was very hard for me to get a traditional loan,” Warren said.The loan came with a yearly interest rate of 197%. That ballooned her initial $1,250 loan into a total payment of...…Toggle main menu visibility| March 12, 2021 1:56 pmKesha Warren needed a short-term cash infusion of $1,250 to make payroll costs for her small janitorial services company.In 2019, she took out an auto title loan, a short-term loan that uses the borrower’s vehicle as collateral. She says she was shut off from more traditional bank loans.“No one wants to lend to someone that has $100,000 in student loans, so it was very hard for me to get a traditional loan,” Warren said.The loan came with a yearly interest rate of 197%. That ballooned her initial $1,250 loan into a total payment of...WW…

Toggle main menu visibility| December 8, 2020 3:34 pmIt’s no secret that Illinois is having major budget difficulties due partly to the COVID-19 pandemic.The state pays billions of dollars into the Medicaid program that covers more than 2 million residents. WTTW News has learned that a group of lawmakers plans to demand billions of dollars back from the private health care organizations that run Illinois’ Medicaid program.State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) and state Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Streamwood) say they believe it’s time for private health insurance companies that have seen big...…Toggle main menu visibility| December 8, 2020 3:34 pmIt’s no secret that Illinois is having major budget difficulties due partly to the COVID-19 pandemic.The state pays billions of dollars into the Medicaid program that covers more than 2 million residents. WTTW News has learned that a group of lawmakers plans to demand billions of dollars back from the private health care organizations that run Illinois’ Medicaid program.State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) and state Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Streamwood) say they believe it’s time for private health insurance companies that have seen big...WW…

Toggle main menu visibility| December 2, 2020 7:52 pmHoliday shopping season is here, and a record number of people are expected to conduct their business online due to the pandemic. That means an already strained U.S. Postal Service will be tested even further. Service has been sporadic at best in many parts of Chicago, with some residents telling us they haven’t received mail in a month. We visited two areas that have been hit hard to find out what’s going on, and what can be done to fix it.Lined up and waitingIt’s a common sight at the McGee Post Office on 46th Street and...…Toggle main menu visibility| December 2, 2020 7:52 pmHoliday shopping season is here, and a record number of people are expected to conduct their business online due to the pandemic. That means an already strained U.S. Postal Service will be tested even further. Service has been sporadic at best in many parts of Chicago, with some residents telling us they haven’t received mail in a month. We visited two areas that have been hit hard to find out what’s going on, and what can be done to fix it.Lined up and waitingIt’s a common sight at the McGee Post Office on 46th Street and...WW…